Exactly, not typical Cinny behavior at all. He should be getting better, not worse especially since we have been working with a trainer again. I have been doing some research and..... I am about 95% sure Cinny has ulcers or other gastro intestinal issues going on. He started getting bad and progressing to worse about a month ago, right after his teeth float, shots and wormer... and then I took him to a show. His neighbor has been on stall rest for weeks and is acting up really badly, which I'm sure also stresses Cin out. It's been a high stress month for him.

1) He acts like he's starving but rarely finishes his food and I have been feeding him LESS than I was.

2) He is starting to loose weight

3) His "glow" is gone, he now has a dull coat

4) He is girthy, and he didn't used to be

5) He is sensitive to groom under his tummy and around his flanks

6) He wont' play in turnout anymore. He used to gallop around like a mad horse for half an hour or more, now he gallops for about a minute then suddenly stops and stands in one place like he's afraid to move.

7) He used to be wonderful on trail, now he's spooky and full of anxiety on trail including prancing the whole way, spinning, rearing and kicking out.

8) He seems crooked to one side and where he used to be strong on picking up correct canter leads, he won't

9) He is fine walking but trotting and cantering turn him into a major butthead and he even pins his ears when I ask for a canter, his favorite gait.

10) His teeth grinding was almost gone, but now it's back and worse than ever

11) He has occasionally shown signs of mild, short lived bouts of colic.

12) He is not performing to the level he was just months ago, even with training.

13) People at my stable have commented on him seeming to be very cranky lately.

So.... I have ordered him some Ulcergard and SmartGut. I'm going to get him some stuff like Probios and the such today to help relieve his pain untll the other things get here, and I am putting him on rest. I'm also waiting for the vet to call me back to discuss his possible ulcers and whether or not he should be scoped at this point or just treat him, and what the treatment should be.

Upon my research on the internet I found this stomach ulcers in horses and hind gut ulcers and it REALLY hit home after reading it.... especially after all my other research of symptoms. What she describes is not just her horse, but Cinny too!

I'm so sorry to hear that Cinny may have ulcers! However, at least it may mean that your dreams of a willing Dressage partner may not need to be transferred to a new horse? I am eager to hear updates, hopefully you get your playful happy Cinny back soon!

I have a tb that I got when he was just 4 weeks off the track. He had a lot of the same symptoms that you have described above. I had a very strong feeling that he had ulcers, after ruling out all other possible issues, and speaking with the vet we decided to not go ahead and scope him and to just put him on the gastrogard.

The first thing I noticed was that he started to eat all of his food again. Before the treatment he would act as if he wanted his food when I took it to him, he was definitely interested in it, but after a few bites he would just stand there with his head over the feed bowl and then just give up on it. I knew it wasn't his teeth because I had them done when I first noticed this issue. To me the feed issue is a big indicator of ulcers, they are interested in it, but just aren't comfortable enough to finish it. Especially if teeth have been ruled out.

The mild short lived bouts of colic you mention are also another big warning sign, I also went through a couple of those episodes as well. I have always been very, very careful about doing everything I possibly can to prevent colic and just couldn't figure out what the cause would be.

The eating issue and the colic episodes are the big indicators here, they are what led me to believe my horse had ulcers and got me to asking the vet about the gastrogard treatments.

I started noticing a difference after about a week or a week and a half, that's when he started eating better and eventually finishing all of his food, so I knew we were on the right track. He was on the gastrogard for about a month.

He did have another flare up after that, in the first year that I had him, so he went back on the gastrogard right away for another month or so, as soon as I noticed the symptoms. He hasn't had any symptoms since. I've had him for about 3 years now.

Management is very important for preventing a flare up or preventing ulcers from starting to begin with. I always make sure my horses have as much hay as they can eat. I give them enough hay at each feeding that by the next feeding there is just a little left over. Small feeds spaced out throughout the day, rather than 1 or 2 very large feeds, also stay away from grains, it is best to feed high fibre feed. I use a high fat/hi fibre feed pellet and space my horse's feeds out to 4 small feeds/day. I have always fed like this but he came to me with the ulcer issue from the track. I don't feed any type of supplement to help prevent ulcers, I think that the overall management is more beneficial to preventing them than a supplement. That being said, if you know of any stressful event that will be taking place, like moving barns or a very long trailer trip, etc it would be a good idea to put your horse on the lower dose form of the gastrogard (is it the ulcergard?) for a short period of time.

The only thing proven to treat ulcers is gastrogard (omeprazole), once treated careful management is the most important thing to prevent them from reoccuring.

That would explain a lot-glad you went searching & can start some preventitive measures. Hope he has a quick & positive response to he meds. Please keep us posted. I've been hearing much more about ulcers lately & I think we all have to be more aware of the symptons & the "cures".

Today Cinny got half a tube of Ulcer Guard and a whole ton of tums...which he thinks is just another form of horse candy. I also gave him about 2 cups of Alfalfa pellets before riding (as suggested in the link above) with more tums.

Guess what, Cinny was his old self! I just hopped on bareback to walk him around and maybe trot him out a little. We ended up going for a little bit of a canter too... he felt so relaxed under me. No fighting, no head tossing, very little gritting... just ears perked forward and happily chomping his bit.

I then took him for a stroll up the street for a change of scenery and he was a complete angel for the first time in ages.

I am still waiting for the vet to call me to help me make up a plan. But I know his is probably very busy this afternoon as he is the same vet that is seeing to Outoftheblue's horse, Reily.... if you have kept up with that story, then you will udnerstand why I'm not upset about having to wait for my phone call. :)

Poor Cinny, my mare has ulcers and her symptoms were just like his. I treated her with rantidine(generic zantac) on and off for a while, but it always seems they would come back with her got stressed(and being a hormonal mare, that happens a lot). I also started her on a supplement called ulc-r-aid(I get it from horse.com) which seemed to minimize how often would flare up. Then recently I decided I wanted to start her on gastrogard/ulcergard but at $28+/tube I really couldn't afford it so recently I ordered from this site Omeprazole Direct - Horses It's the same drug as gastrogard but a lot cheaper. I got them almost a week ago, the come in either pill or little pellet form, I got the pills. So far they seem to have really helped, They are much cheaper then gastrogard. I got 200 pills for $244(I think) I have to give her 3/day for the first 28 days and then 1 per day for prevention.

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